Dust-guard for car-axles.



m. 58mm. Paenfed Nov. 5, 19m.

JQHNsN. BUST GUR FUR CAR AXLES;

(Application ler May 9, 1.901.)

(Nn Model.)

Wsw-M5555:

UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW JOHNSON, OF CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

DUS-T-G UARD FOR CAR-AX'LES.

SPEGlFIGA'EION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,841, dated November 5, 1901.

' Application led May 9, 1901. Serial No. 59,431. (No model.)

To all whoml 25 may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW JOHNSON, of Concord, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dust- Guards for CarAXles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dust-guards for the axle-boxes of railway-cars; and it includes among its objects to provide a deviceof this character which shall he, partially at least, indestructible by a hot-box fire and which shall be durable and of a highly dust-proof character. l

A further object is to combine cheapness of manufacture with the above-named qualities. With these ends in view the invention consists in the improvements which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure l" represents an axial vertical section of a car j ournal-box provided with my improved dustguard. Fig. 2 represents a top plan view thereof, partly in section. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section taken just back of the guard. Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of the guard, partly disassembled. Fig. 5 represents a transverse section of the guard taken through one ofthe guide-grooves of the sand-board. Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of the sand-board. Fig. 7 represents a vertical transverse section, partly broken away, showing a modified form of spring.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the gures.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the car-axle, 2 the journal at the end thereof, and 3 indicates an axle-box of ordinary construction, provided with a deep transverse recess 4, constituting a guide or socket to receive a rectangular plate commonly known as the sandboard," and which in one form which it assumes 4according to my invention is represented at 5. The sand-board is provided with an aperture 6, through which the axle 1 passes, which aperture, as shown in the drawings, is vertically elongated, but may be of other suitable form. .l

On the rear face of the sand-board 5, near its side edges, are formed a pair of vertical guide-grooves 7 7, occupied by two guide rods S 8, which are held in engagement with the sand-board, so as to be capable of a ver tical sliding movement with respect thereto, by means of two staples 9 9 in each groove, fastened at dierent heights to the sandboard and embracing the rods.`

10 11 are two sheet-metal g`uard-plates, slidingly mounted close to the grooved rear face of the sand-board 5 and provided with semicircular recesses 12 12, formed to fit around the axle 1, these plates having overlapping legs 13 13 on opposite sides of the recesses, which preserve the continuity of the guard when the plates are moved relatively to each other. Each plate is formed with two integral ears 14 14 on its opposite side edges, bent into tubular form and embracing the two rods 8 8, whereby the plates havea guiding engagement with the rods. These tubular ears are odset from the plane of the plates and are received in the grooves7 7, thus permitting the bodies of the plates to lie close to the face of the sand-board 5. The rods 8 8 at their lower ends are formed with heads 16 16, engaging the ears 14 14 on the lower guardplate 11 and at their upper ends are screwthreaded and provided with nuts .17 17. Be tween said nuts and the ears 14 14 on the upper plate 10 are interposed two helical springs 18 18, which it will he seen have the eect of yieldingly forcing the plates in the direction of each other, so as to close them upon the axle 1. By adjusting the nuts wear on the plates Y may be taken up and their pressure against the axle regulated.

19 represents an elongated block forming a cover or closure, which is retained by a friction-tight fit within the ymouth of the guide or socket 4 in the axle-box and serves to eX- clude dust and to retain the sand-board and guard-plates within the socket. This block `is formed with apertures 2O 20 for the passage of the rods 8 and springs 1S. Its material may be wood. Above the block 19 is a retaining-plate 21, having apertures 22 22 for the passage of the rods and springs and abutting against the nuts 17 17. Said plate overlies the axle-box 3 and serves to limit the downward movement of the guard in its socket. p

It will be observed that the sand-board 5 acts as a guiding-support for the guard-plates 10 11 and is of such dimensions as to oc IOO cupy. the major portion of the guide or socket 4 in the axle-box, thereby also serving in the capacity of a dust-excluder. Theconstruction illustrated in `the drawings is that of a wooden sand-board which has the advantage of cheapness of manufacture and durability under shocks. By combining such a sandboard with metallicdust-plates I provide a device which is as toits most important parts (the dust-plates) indestructible by a hot-box fire and which willbe capable of performing its functions in a kuseful degree af' ter such a contingency and where` a dust-` guardcomposed principally of wood would be rendered useless. The sand-board'-may,l however, be made of metal. n

Fig. 7 shows a modification in whichv for the helical springs l substitute a bowed leafspring 23, whose middle rests onv the upper guard-plate lO and whose ends bear againstV sleeves 24 l24, surrounding the rods 88 and engaged by the nuts 17 17, said sleeves passing 1 through the holes 2O 20 in the llingblock 19. I claim== 1. A dust-guard for car-axle'boxes comprising ajsandboard havingrod-guides, rods slidingly mounted in said guides, upper and lower guard-plates formed to embrace the."`

axle and engaged with said rods, and springs surrounding the rods and yieldingly pressing the plates toward each other.

`2. A dust-guard for car-axle boxes coniprising a sand-board, rods guided thereon, upper and vlower sheet-metal guard-plates formed to embrace the axle and'having integral ears bent into tubular form and constituting guides embracing the rods,`and springs surrounding saidrods and yieldingly pressingthe plates toward each other.

3. ,A dust-guard forcar-axle boxes comprising a sand-board having guiding-grooves on one face, rods mounted in said-grooves, upper and lower guard-plates formed' to embrace rthe axle and lying closelyagainst the f said face ofthe sand-board, said plates having tubular oset ears occupying said grooves and Vembracing the rods, andv means yieldyingly 'pressing said plates toward each other. ,4. In combinatiomfan axle, `an axle-box having a socket or'guide'for a sand-board, a wooden 'sand-board lli-ng the major portion ofsaid socket, upper and lower thin metallic `guard-platesV slidingly mounted against one 

